Is it AI? They had to formalize a problem and define what a "trick" is. So the problem becomes a search for a solution in a space of possibilities. If the space

Is it AI? They had to formalize a problem and define what a "trick" is. So the problem becomes a search for a solution in a space of possibilities. If the space is small then brute-force search will find all the solutions. I don't think this kind of approach has anything to do with AI. Of course if the space to search is large then genetic algorithms or other AI solutions can be used and we can say it's AI... Looks like "AI" is a cool term nowadays and it's hijacking the more basic notion of formalizing a problem and using a computer.